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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29658141">Alien Princess Encounter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/adiwriting/pseuds/adiwriting'>adiwriting</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Heartbeat [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alien Princess obsessions for the win, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Mpreg, M/M, Single Dad Michael Guerin, background Arturo being awesome</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 22:21:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,492</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29658141</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/adiwriting/pseuds/adiwriting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>If Michael's daughter believes that she's seen an alien princess at the Crashdown Cafe, it's entirely Max's fault.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Michael Guerin/Alex Manes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Heartbeat [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2178315</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>113</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Alien Princess Encounter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALovelyLitwit/gifts">ALovelyLitwit</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Officially Day 2 of Brooke's super awesome birthday week and I'm continuing with the adventures of Nova Mae because Brooke deserves nice soft things... and quite frankly, so do all of us!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Michael walks out of the corner hardware store, a new locknut in hand. The sink in their apartment has been leaking steadily since they moved in and the maintenance guys have been useless thus far fixing it themselves so Michael’s decided to just do it himself. It’s a simple enough repair. Won’t even take him 15 minutes, but he’s still annoyed that he has to do it. He pays enough for their apartment that the building can certainly cover the repairs and save him the expense of having to buy new parts for a place he doesn’t own. Michael is planning on telling his landlord that he’ll do his own repairs from now on and they can take it off his rent. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Daddy, pincess!” Nova Mae exclaims excitedly, tugging on his hand as she points across the street. He looks up to see what she’s pointing at and has to chuckle to himself that she’s spotted one of the waitresses from the Crashdown helping carry a large order out to a car. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s a waitress, Baby,” he explains, but unsurprisingly, Nova ignores him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A beal albien pincess,” she says in wonder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Michael tilts his head to look at the waitress again, trying to see her through Nova’s eyes and eventually he has to laugh. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span> the alien princess stories that Max has written and illustrated for Nova are based off the Crashdown waitress outfit. Of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Max’s never ending crush on Liz Ortecho would be cute if it weren’t so painfully sad. After all, it’s been ten years since he saw her last. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can we go, Daddy?” she asks, still tugging on his hand hard enough that if he were to let go, she would face plant. “I wanna see!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s about to argue that they don’t have time. That they need to get back home so he can fix the sink and start cooking dinner, but she’s looking up at him with those soft eyes of hers that remind him so much of Alex he can’t actually tell her no. He pulls out his wallet to check that he’s got enough cash to cover the cost of a kid’s meal and nods to himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright. Sure,” he says. “But you’re eating whatever vegetable I put on your plate.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nova cheers and pulls him down the sidewalk as he tells her to slow down before she pulls his arm off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They carefully look both ways before crossing the street and soon they are walking into the diner. Michael takes a moment to look around, marveling at how little the place has changed in ten years. Because that’s how long it’s been since he’s stepped foot in here. After everything with Rosa, Michael’s done his best to stay clear of the place, out of respect for the family. Even now, he feels a bit uncomfortable, but the wide smile on Nova’s face has him pushing through it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Michael leads Nova over to a booth by the window and sits next to her, blocking her in. She’s got a nasty habit of running away from the table to investigate things and more than once they’ve been at a restaurant and Nova’s run into a waitress carrying trays of drinks and food. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It wooks wike Unca Max book,” she says to him, eyes wide as she stands on the booth and looks around in complete awe. Michael chuckles to himself, and tugs on Nova’s shirt to get her to sit back down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you want to eat Kiddo?” he asks, pulling out one of the paper kid’s menus from behind the condiments. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nova’s eyes grow big again and she points to a waitress walking past carrying a tray of milkshakes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, no chance,” he says sternly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nova rolls her eyes and leans her weight against him dramatically as she sighs and points to the picture of mac and cheese in an alien shaped bowl. A moment later a waitress comes over with a cup full of crayons and places it on the table while asking what she can get for them. Nova stares up at her in complete adoration, but doesn’t speak. For once in her life, rendered completely speechless. Michael places their order, a cup of coffee for himself and a mac and cheese with a side of broccoli for Nova. He’s not starving and he can eat at home later. He’s gotta be careful with their money while he waits for his salary to kick in at Roswell Junior High in the fall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wanna albien cown, Daddy,” she says once the waitress walks away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This isn’t Walmart. They aren't for sale. It’s part of their uniform,” he explains. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I want it,” she says with a pout. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I understand that. But I can’t just buy you one,” he explains. “That’s not how it works. This is a restaurant. They only sell food.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But…” Nova’s bottom lip starts to quiver. “I’m a albien pincess.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He pulls her into his lap and rubs her back. “I know you’re an alien princess. You’re the perfect alien princess. But I can’t buy you those antenna, Baby. Maybe I can try and make you some.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s a cough at his side that’s clearly meant as an interruption. Michael looks over and sees Arturo Ortecho looking down at him with a kind smile. “Perhaps we can work something out, no?” he says. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t have to do that,” Michael starts to say, wanting no favors from a man who Michael’s wronged so badly… especially given that the man doesn’t know the truth. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pease Daddy? Pease?” Nova says, and once again, those big brown eyes of hers do him in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighs. “I’ll pay you for a pair.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Arturo nods. “Of course.” He holds his hand out for Nova. “Do you want to become a princess?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nova looks to him for permission and when Michael nods his head, Nova scrambles over him to get out of the booth and take Arturo’s hand. Michael watches as the two of them disappear into the back. A moment later, he hears somebody sliding into the book across from him and when he looks up, Max is there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you said you never wanted to come here,” Max asks, leaning back in his seat. A waitress comes over and hands Max a cup of coffee and leaves them be, not asking him if he’d like anything else. A sign that Max clearly comes here often and they know his order. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t,” Michael says. “Nova saw an alien princess and needed to investigate.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gives Max a knowing look and tries his best not to laugh at the way Max blushes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m just upset I never made the connection earlier,” Michael says. “All those years I could have been giving you shit and missed out.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max rolls his eyes. “Whatever.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nova comes back a few moments later, wearing a pair of princess antenna on her head and a huge smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Unca Max!” she exclaims, falling head first into his lap with an excited giggle until he picks her up and pulls her into the booth so she can hug him properly. “Wook!” she exclaims, moving her head around so the antenna bounce left and right. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The picture of perfection,” Max smiles down at her. He reaches for her hand and places a kiss to the back of it. “My lady.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nova wiggles her shoulders happily and turns around so that she’s sitting with her back to Max’s chest. She pulls the crayons to her and asks Max if he wants to lose at Tic-Tac-Toe with her, causing him to laugh and agree. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you planning on going to the reunion on Friday?” Michael asks him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Max snorts. “You think Isobel gave me an option?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You could always say you have to work,” he says. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh no. Sheriff Valenti thinks it’s important to reconnect with my peers or whatever. She made certain to not just give me the night off, but the next day so I could fully enjoy myself,” Max says. Michael gets the reluctance. Neither of them really hung out with anyone but each other back then and the only person Max would be interested in seeing hasn’t been home in over ten years and is the last person to be seen at a high school reunion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why? Are you going?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Michael shrugs. “It’s important to Isobel, so I’m gonna try and go. If I can get Sanders to watch the munchkin.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That’s not the only reason he wants to go, but it’s the only reason he’s willing to admit to anyone else. He knows that Alex is back in town. The whole town threw him a parade a few weeks ago, before Michael moved back to town. Michael hasn’t seen him yet and he doubts that a reunion is Alex’s kind of thing, but if there’s a chance he can run into him, he’s willing to take it. </span>
</p>
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